Lockheed Martin [LMT] yesterday said the Army awarded it $391 million in production orders for a new radar system that gives soldiers with enhanced 360-degree protection from rocket, mortar and artillery fire. 

In early March, the Army awarded the company an $881 million contract for the AN/TPQ-53 Firefinder Radar, formerly called the EQ-36 radar (Defense Daily, March 2). That firm fixed price award has a base year and two option years, which could yield as many as 51 systems. The base year is $166 million for 12 systems. All training and testing support including a Limited User Test as well as Initial Operational Test and Evaluation is covered by the contract.

The orders revealed yesterday represent the execution of the two option years for a total of 33 AN/TPQ-53 (Q-53) counterfire target acquisition radars–during their development and initial production–to be delivered by the end of 2014. The 33 radar systems include the 12 systems that are part of the contract base year. Also, the options include spares, testing and training materials. 

“The Q-53 is in production and has been battlefield-proven by the U.S. Army in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Lee Flake, program director for counterfire target acquisition radar programs at Lockheed Martin’s Mission Systems & Sensors business. “The radar detects, classifies and tracks enemy indirect fire, as well as locating its source, in either 360- or 90-degree modes that give soldiers greater protection than ever before.”

Mounted on a five-ton truck, the Q-53 can be rapidly deployed, automatically leveled and remotely operated with a laptop computer or from a fully equipped climate-controlled command vehicle. The radar detects in-flight projectiles at greater rangers and determines and communicates the firing point locations with a high degree of accuracy. It does this with a low false alarm rate.

Lockheed Martin won the competitive development contract for the EQ-36 radar in 2007.

Responding to urgent needs statements from theater and following early program successes, the Army awarded the company an accelerated contract for 12 initial production systems in July 2008 and a contract with options for an additional 20 systems in April 2010.

Then, in the fall of 2010, the Army began deploying EQ-36 systems to combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Lockheed Martin submitted its bid for this current contract in open competition in September 2011.

The work on the Q-53 radars will be done at Lockheed Martin facilities in Syracuse, N.Y., Moorestown, N.J., Akron, Ohio, and Clearwater, Fla.